This is the fourth post in a series on the connections between Identity, Community and Mission (see others here). “Nothing less than life in the steps of Christ is adequate to the human soul or the needs of our world.” – Dallas Willard, The Great Omission. In the story of Jesus’ last night, when he’s with his friends […]
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On Tuesday I posted a series of statements and asked you the enticing question, What am I? Each statement summarized a Biblical text about JUSTICE. (#1 is Isaiah 61:8, #2-5 are Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, and #6&#7 are Paul in Romans 1:16-17 and 6:19) In the Hebrew scriptures, there is a word […]
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What am I? - I am loved by God. - I am what you are blessed to be hurt pursuing. - I am what you are blessed to hunger for. - I am something you’re blessed to have more of than most religious leaders. - I am something you should seek with your first and […]
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Last night we learned a little bit about who we are. We are Republicans and we are Democrats and non-voters, disgruntled, happy, ambivalent, and disagreeing on the right course for our future. We clearly seem to agree we all want what’s best for our country, but defining what’s “best” and how to get there we’re world’s […]
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Paul, an early follower of Jesus said that the Good News of Jesus reveals the justice of God (Romans 1:16-17). This sounds important to me; but raises the question, “What then is the justice of God?” An ancient song gives us a great glimpse with these lyrics, God “executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food […]
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The right story told at the right time can make all the difference. Knowing this, great storytellers take as much care in selecting the right story as they do in crafting its telling. David Swartz, author and historian at Asbury University, has done just that in his newly released book, Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left […]
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Justice, Biblically defined, is so much more than people “getting what they deserve.” Oh goodness no. It’s God’s intent for creation; it has to do with right relationships (which is why “righteousness” is a great synonym) between self, God, neighbor, enemy, and the world. Justice, Righteousness, Peace and (in the NT) The Kingdom of God […]
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If you’re an adult in Houston, you have a 1 in 5 chance of being illiterate. Think about that for a second – that’s getting close to a million people, across Harris County, who lack BASIC literacy skills.

If you happen to be that 1, pretty much everything just got a lot harder for you. You’re more likely to be arrested; more likely to be incarcerated; less likely to get a job; more likely to be cheated out of wages or fair working conditions when you do get one. You’re more likely to live in poverty, and less likely to know your own rights and responsibilities: in the workplace, voting, at your kid’s school, when signing a credit card agreement; you name it.

These are exciting times in Houston. The U.S. Mayor’s Conference recently declared our metropolitan area the leader of gross metropolitan growth in 2012, and projects that Houston will grow faster than any other city. These are exciting times, but we have to pause to ask how the city will grow. Will we continue to lead the nation in highest percentage of minimum wage, dead-end jobs, who will benefit, and what is our plan for ensuring an improved quality of life for the poor and vulnerable of our city?

As we take a step back this Labor Day to survey the state of basic workers’ rights in our community and ask these questions, it turns out the prosperity of our city is not shared.

I absolutely love the phrase in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, “Beware of practicing your justice before others.” It sounds odd because the work of justice is often very public; and Jesus doesn’t make it less odd when he then talks about charity, prayer, and fasting. Apparently, in Jesus mind, practicing spiritual disciplines is necessary […]
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